Honor of the Princess II
by Art of the Artichoke
Summary: After The Southern Raiders, Azula started hearing whispering in the palace. Could it be Zuko looking for revenge? When Azula spoke to the voice of her brother, she found the real reason he was there to be even more terrifying.


**Honor of the Princess II**

_After The Southern Raiders, Azula started hearing whispering in the palace. Could it be Zuko looking for revenge? When Azula spoke to the voice of her brother, she found the real reason he was there to be even more terrifying. _

The princess of the Fire Nation was experiencing a lot of stress, to say the least. It had been three days since her failure to kill Zuko at the Southern Air Temple. Three days, and she had yet to meet with her Father! A servant had told her Ozai received the report she had written and was too busy to speak with her. Something about that just seemed…off. Surely her Father was disappointed? Azula wasn't naive, she knew she would be punished for this. Failure was unacceptable. So what was taking him so long? Sozin's comet was due to arrive soon. _"If all this nonsense was taken care of…then we could lead the invasion together…_" she thought with a grin as she pictured the entire Earth Kingdom go up in flames. Yes! Burn!

_Well, if Father was busy, I should be training_. There was only one problem. Azula normally trained in the courtyards outside the Palace, but now so much was at stake. Out in the open, it was far too easy for an assassin to take her out. Servants muttered all the time, and while Azula couldn't make out most of it, she knew that they were starting to doubt her. _Should you really inherit the throne if you couldn't kill the Avatar? Or even worse, Zuzu? _She would sure show them. No one would dare oppose her once she took part in annihilating the Earth Kingdom. _It was my plan, surely Father would take me with him. No fools would dare stand in our way._ _We'd go…together._

Lately the shadows cast through the windows were darker, deeper, than usual. A servant mentioned that perhaps Azula should get some sleep, it was getting rather late, wasn't it? "I don't have time for that. I have an invasion to plan, unlike you, whose sole duty is make sure the towels are clean." She had just woken up, why would she go to sleep again? She barely had enough time as it is. Still, she headed to her room to avoid suspicion. People kept staring at her; it was getting unnerving. Their eyes, as if they could see right through her, right through her lies, her deceptions and…_NO. It's not time for that you have to stay focused stay awake stay alert no more traitors if you always look…_

"Azula…..!" Great, she was just about to fall asleep, and now someone was calling her. _It's a trap it's a trap traitors are everywhere just look. _"Azula over here!" It sounded like a much younger version of her brother. "C'mon Azula!" The voice was coming from the hallway. The Princess slunk out of bed and tiptoed outside. It would do no good to alert others. _They will cut you down when you least expect it. _"Azula," said the voice. Now it sounded like a much older version of Zuko. It had to be Zuko! It was coming from his old room! _He's come to take what you deserve, what you've worked for, he must die, HE MUST DIE! _Yes, Zuko must die. Azula slunk, back towards the wall (_you can never be too careful) _towards Zuko's room.

"It's so nice to see you again, brother." Wait – Zuko wasn't in the room! Where could he have gone? It must be a trap he was going to kill her (_you should have died on the cliff but you didn't, and now you're here) _but…no! She wouldn't let Zuko take what she had worked for all of her life. "Zuzuuu….come out come out wherever you are…"

"Azula," said the voice of Zuko.

"Zuzu, come out and fight. Remember the last time you refused to fight? Remember what happened then? Wasn't that really funny Zuzu?"

"I don't want to fight you," said the mysterious Zuko voice. "I came to tell you something."

"And I came here to do what Father should have done to you all those years ago." _You must learn the pain of losing a firstborn son…by sacrificing you own!_

"That's not what this is about Azula. I wanted to say that I forgive you for everything you've done. You're my little sister and I will always love you." _Azula always lies…Azula always lies…Father wants you to come home Zuko…you will have your honor back. He'll think you're a hero._

Azula merely laughed. "You're so funny! I know you came here to kill me Zuko. But I now know where you are hiding!" Suddenly, Azula let out a giant fire blast! Zuko's bedsheets were lit aflame. Zuko's screams were music to her ears. She stood there smiling, watching the sheets burn. _You were never meant to be Fire Lord, Father always preferred me, me me ME!_

The next morning Azula awoke in her own bed. What happened after she killed her brother? She couldn't remember - _Everything was a giant foggy cloud and going back it was all lost don't look back only misery there- _so she decided to go back to Zuko's room to see if there was a body there. While she knew Zuko was under the bedsheets, she never actually saw him there. She just knew. It was rather obvious.

To her complete and utter surprise, Zuko's bedroom looked untouched. The sheets on the bed were perfectly folded. A trick! Zuko must have sent a decoy. "Silly Zuzu, you can't fool me," Azula said to no one in particular. _Why would Zuko even come to the Palace anyways he is with the Avatar none of this even makes sense –_ it made perfect sense. Everyone was a traitor. She couldn't grow complacent. _You shouldn't even be here now, monster._ _What is wrong with that child?_ _There's nothing wrong with me! _Everyone else was utterly insane. But not her. No way. Perhaps if she had gotten a good night's sleep things would become clearer. Too bad she couldn't fall asleep because then someone would assassinate her. _It wasn't your throne to begin with and it was never meant to be yours. Nobody loves you and although you command respect nobody respects you either…_

Azula was hungry for breakfast. Her stomach grumbled. But she couldn't leave her room! Zuko had already sent one assassin! What if her food was poisoned? You know what, it probably was. Best to stay here. _Clear you head clear you head to create lightening your mind must be free of turmoil – _Azula closed her eyes. Breathe in, breathe out. _None of this is real…_

A few days passed by – or was it a few weeks? Time was a funny thing, it could move really fast or really slow – It all depended on the situation _(how sane you are)._ Azula kept to herself, mostly. She was a people person…she could hear the thoughts of her inferiors…perhaps if she had gained this ability earlier she would have seen the betrayal of her cohorts (_they were your friends, Azula)._ Choosing Zuko over her? It made no sense (_it makes perfect sense and you know it, Azula)._ Ho w could Mai (_I love Zuko MORE than I fear you)-_and Ty Lee (_You, jealous of me? But you're the most beautiful, smartest, perfect girl in the world) –_do this to her? She love them (_respected their abilities in combat_). But it was a fool's game to love, why couldn't the rest of the world see that? But maybe they did see and loved each other anyway. _Monsters don't deserve love and are better left dead; they were never alive in the first place._

Another day in her room spent alone and Azula swore she heard Ty Lee's giggle. "Ty…?" she asked, frightened. Zuko must have recruited Mai and Ty Lee to his side (_in the end they all chose Zuko over her anyway_) and now Ty Lee was sent to kill her.

"Azula," whispered the fake _(or real)_ Ty Lee. "Why, Azula?"

"Ty Lee, SHOW YOURSELF!"

"I did it to save you. You were going to kill Mai. That wasn't you. It was your father."

"Yes, I was going to kill Mai! If you had just let it happen everything would have been ABSOLUTELY FINE!" yelled the Princess.

"I love you Azula. Much more than I fear you. That's why I did it."

"LIAR!" Where were all these people coming from? "Ty Lee, STOP LYING!"

"Goodbye Azula. I'm sorry it had to end this way…"

"Ty Lee?" The room was silent, and there was no sign of Ty Lee anywhere. Zuko must have gotten a servant to poison her. Yes, that's why she was seeing all these people. There was no way they were actually there; she just thought they were. He was trying to get her to give in to weakness so that he could defeat and kill her. _He's controlling my mind they all are and why can't they just STOP and get out of my head can't think can't breathe can't…live. Please, please, go away. Leave me alone…just leave me be…_

Azula began talking to herself again _(well, not talking to herself but to them, that didn't make any sense but neither did her life). _"My throne, my country, my honor _(my mind)…_I'm about to lose them all."

Not that she ever had them to begin with.


End file.
